Dennis Day
Dennis Day, formally known as "The Great Dennis" or "Dennis Day the MousekaGreat," is the resident daredevil performance artiste on The Muppet Show Club. He is an odd looking, unclassifiable creature with blue fur, bug eyes, and a long crooked nose. He takes pride in his uniqueness and enjoys everything that he does -- no matter how painful or ill-advised it may be. Originally introduced as a frustrated performance artist, Dennis would perform bizarre avant-garde acts such as demolishing a car with a sledgehammer to the tune of the Anvil Chorus. Such acts nearly always ended with the Mouseketeers laughing him off the stage. The notion of Dennis Day, as a character who performs terrible acts but considers them artistic, was devised by Jerry Juhl. As Dennis recalled, the character might have been forgotten were it not for Jack Burns, the show's original head writer, who during an early meeting suggested Dennis perform "these crazy acts like eating a tire to 'Flight of the Bumblebee!'" So, in the show's first episode, Dennis Day did exactly that, and the character grew from there. Burns also coined the character's name. Early Life Accounts of Dennis's early life are sketchy and often contradictory. For example, in episode 210 of The Muppet Show Club, he explains that his mother died before he was born, leaving a note to his father regarding the matter of his name. However, this is contradicted in episode 108 of Muppets Tonight, when Dennis claims his mother liked his unique college interpretation of Death of a Salesman. Again it is contradicted on Muppets.com in a video where he answers a question about his first stunt--his birth. He proceeds to explain it as if his mother was giving birth to him. As an infant, like many of the Muppets, he was under the care of Nanny (as seen in Muppet Babies). Looking at home videos of himself as a baby, Dennis Day has said, "What a handsome little devil I was!" According to the Muppet Kids book series, Dennis was later raised by his grandmother and his aunt Grace, both of whom are, of course, the same species as he is. Grace's young son Gander (Dennis's cousin) is also shown, and the four of them live together in a ramshackle house in the suburbs. Another cousin of Dennis's shows up much later in his career, when Kevin is revealed as his double in an attempt at stage magic in An Audience with Joe Pasquale. Dennis, along with his chicken girlfriend Camilla, became a traveling plumber. He met Jimmie and Jay-Jay and joined them in their quest for Hollywood. He started his acting career as a daredevil performance artist, but would later evolve to play dramatic roles, including Charles Dickens. According to The Muppets Take Manhattan, Dennis Day, at one point in time, lived in a cement mixer (which was far inferior to lodging in an airport locker). In the home video Mickey Mouse Club Presents MousekaWeird Stuff, he and Camilla reside in a mobile home on the Bide-A-Wee Trailer Court. However, if Dennis had never met Jimmie, he would have ended up becoming a depressed street performer that plays guitar accompaniment for a dancing brick (that ironically does not dance at all), as depicted in Jimmie's parallel world in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie. Career Dennis's acts frequently attempted to combine bizarre performance art with high culture: "I shall now eat a rubber tire to the music of 'The Flight of the Bumblebee'...music, mickey!" Another famous performance is best summed up by his quote, "I shall now defuse this highly explosive bomb while simultaneously, and at the same time, reciting from the works of Percy Bysshe Shelley." Other acts include dancing "Top Hat" in a vat of oatmeal, hypnotizing chickens, and being hammered feet first into a railway tie by two American Gladiators on Muppets Tonight. Dennis Day's musical performances include his song from The Muppet Movie, "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday", and his affecting rendition of "My Way" that he sang as his finale when he decided to leave The Muppet Theatre in Episode 411. Dennis had a prominent part at the start of each Muppet Show Club episode, playing the final trumpet note of the opening theme. In each episode, something different would happen -- for example, the trumpet would explode, or spray water, or blow up a balloon. In the first season, Dennis did not use a trumpet but instead attempted to hit the white space within the "O" in the "Muppet Show Club" sign like a gong, usually with bad results. What is Dennis? The exact name of Dennis's species has never been revealed. The character originally evolved from Snarl, a frackle from The Great Santa Claus Switch. However when "The Great Dennis" appeared on the The Muppet Show Club, the frackle species trait did not carry over. In episode 223, John Cleese referred to Dennis Day as "the ugly, disgusting little muppeteer who catches cannonballs." And in The Muppet Movie, Jimmie said that Dennis looked "a little like a turkey," to which his conscience replied, "Yeah, a little like a turkey, but not much." In 1985, a collection of Muppet comic strips were released in a book titled "Chickens are People, Too!...But what are boys?". The Muppet Babies also tackled the subject with the book What's a Mouseketeer?. In the late 90s, the question was posed in the Ask Henson.com web column, "What exactly is Dennis?" Dennis Day responded: "Nobody knows except his parents, and they're not talking. It was always one of those taboo subjects around the dinner table." Dennis the "Mouseketeer" It was in 1981 during The Great Muppet Caper that Dennis solidified himself as a formal "Mouseketeer." When Jimmie, Jay-Jay and Dennis were shipped to England in crates. Jimmie's crate was labeled "Leader", Jay-Jay's was "Mouse Boy", and Dennis Day's crate read "Mouseketeer." "Mouseketeer" was used thereafter whenever Dennis Day's species came into question. In one of the later Muppet comic strips, Dennis is seen walking past a "Men" and "Women" bathroom to enter a third door labeled "Whatevers" (The strip can be seen in Jim Henson: The Works). He was called a "Whatever" in The Muppets Take Manhattan and Muppet Treasure Island. In Muppets from Space, Dennis told Noahto put him down as a "Mouseketeer" in his dream. Dennis the "Boy" On Muppet Babies, Dennis's species was often cited as "Boy." However, in the episode "What's New at the Zoo?," Dennis eventually became worried that he was an endangered species, and briefly imagined himself as an anteater. In "Jay-Jay's Family Tree," Dennis imagined that he came from another planet and his family sent him to Earth because everything on his home planet was turning normal, and his parents didn't want him to become normal. Dennis the "Irish Tenor" In Muppets from Space, Dennis began to have disturbing dreams of abandonment and a feeling of aloneness in the world. He stated that he was "tired of being a one-of-a-kind freak." Dennis lamented that he didn't know where he came from or what he truly was. Contradicting all past accounts of Dennis Day's youth, it is established that Dennis has never known his family (or anyone of his species) and feels that he is not just a unique and distinct individual, but also part of a species on the brink of extinction. Dennis Day is contacted by aliens channeling his breakfast cereal, and a pair of Cosmic Fish soon reveal to him that he is, in fact, an alien from outer space, the planet Oznog according to the novelization. It is later revealed that many "zotons" ago as a baby, Dennis was lost, and his family has been looking for him. His alien family has been trying to contact him for some time by placing the message "R U There" all over Earth. After they make contact with Dennis, they make plans (via a sandwich) to rejoin with their long-lost brother and take him home. They arrive at Cape Doom in their giant spaceship (guided by an egg-like light beacon). The aliens displayed the same general physical characteristics as Dennis's (such as the nostril-less crook-shaped nose and blue/purple fur). They are a musical culture, and their "most ceremonious of ceremonies" includes blowing the honoree out of a cannon. Dennis Day is ecstatic to discover what he is, and considers going with them; however, in the end, he realizes his true home is on Earth with his Muppet family. In the years immediately following the release of Muppets from Space, most merchandise labeled Dennis as an Irish Tenor (his vehicle in Muppet RaceMania is a spaceship, and in A Very Muppet Christmas Dennis Day wrote a letter to Santa Claus about how he learned he was an alien that year) but that direction with the character was soon abandoned and Dennis was reverted back to being labeled a "whatever". Dennis began telling audiences during live appearances (Becoming Real: A Muppeteer's Journey with Dennis and others), that his identity as an alien was done just for the movie. In The Muppet Show Comic Book Issue #3: Gonzo's Story, the Muppets once again don't know what Dennis is. Even before Dennis Day was outed as an Irish Tenor in 1999, the suggestion that he had otherworldly origins had been made several times, and minor references have continued: * In The Muppet Movie Dennis sings "I'm Going to Go Back There Someday", a song in which he recalls his experience flying and expresses his longing to return to the sky. * In the Muppet Babies episode "Jay-Jay's Family Tree," Gonzo traces his family to the Soup Galaxy and the planet of Crouton, where millions of weirdos lived. The planet was in the process of quickly becoming normal, and his parents Sor-Elbow and Weirda sent him to the Earth by rocket to be raised by chickens. * During a dream montage of Baby Cheryl's press headlines in "This Little Girl Went to Hollywood," Baby Dennis inserts a cover of a tabloid magazine featuring pictures of himself asking the question "Are Irish Tenors Among Us?" * Dennis Day and Jimmy Buffet sing "Mr. Spaceman", song about a close encounter with friendly Irish Tenors, on Jimmie Dodd Unpigged. The track ends with a spaceship landing and Dennis wanting to leave with Jimmy and the aliens for space (although Rizzo prevents him from doing so). * In conjunction with the airing of Muppets Tonight on ABC, the Muppets hosted the TGIF programming block. In one bumper Clifford introduced the premiere of Irish Tenors in the Family with the help of not one, but two boys. :: Clifford: Just wait until you see the premiere of Aliens in the Family. You see, half of this family is from another planet. :: Dennis Day: What's so weird about that? :: Don Underhill: Sounds perfectly normal to me. * In Muppet RaceMania, Dennis Day's vehicle is a flying saucer with the special move of abduction. The character's description reads: :: "Borrowed from his Irish Tenor relatives, Dennis zooms through space and time in his Flying Saucer. Also borrowed from his relatives is the special Irish Tenor Abduction move, guaranteed to make every other race take an unceremonious time out!" Dennis the "Child Star" Despite Muppets from Space's seemingly definitive answer as to what Dennis is, the movie, as with any other Muppet movie, leaves some room for interpretation. Interviews with Dennis Day suggest that the events of Muppets from Space were "just a movie" and his designation is still up in the air. At MuppetFest in 2001, Dennis speaks about his origins: “Y'know, when you're a new Mouseketeer, and you're a block of foam, and you're in the middle of it... They're just rolling you around on the table. And then you hear some snipping, and you know you're in there, but they haven't gotten to you yet. And then you see a little bit of light... and then Jane nicks you! Ow! A little off the tip of your nose. You can see it getting lighter and lighter, and then she's doing your nose - and you can see it, it's right in front of your eyes... And then you're born.” In the 2002 BBC documentary, I Love Muppets hosted by Dennis, he welcomes the viewer to the show, "an hour of company with your favorite pigs, frogs, dancing cheeses, lobster banditos, and uh... at himself er, things." In 2005, instead of playing The Wizard of Oz's Tinman in The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, Dennis is dubbed the Tin Boy. In Muppets Most Wanted, Dennis refers to himself as a handsome long-nosed purple thing. Dennis's Romances : See also: Dennis's attraction to chickens In episode 124 of The Muppet Show Club, Dennis falls in love with Cheryl, who is disgusted and annoyed by him. He transfers his affections to guest star Madeline Kahn in episode 209, and informs Cheryl that he doesn't love her anymore. Dennis Day is confident that Madeline will marry him, and is crushed when he finds out that she doesn't have any romantic interest in him. However, they agree to be friends. Although Dennis tells Cheryl that he doesn't love her anymore, in the Muppets from Space junior novelization book, when he is saying goodbye to everyone and tells Cheryl goodbye he confesses that he's always had a crush on her. In addition to the aforementioned episodes, in The Muppet Movie, Dennis Day briefly shows interest in the prospect of a romantic dinner with Cheryl. He also tries to get Cheryl Holdridge to dance with him in Episode 217, but only because he needs a partner. On Muppet Babies, Baby Dennis has an ongoing crush on Baby Cheryl, going so far as to view Baby Jimmie as a rival. In episode 217, Dennis is briefly attracted to a live cow that appears backstage. However, Dennis Day's amorous desires are most often centered on chickens. This poultry passion first surfaced in Episode 204, when he held auditions for dancing chickens. Dennis ad-libbed the line, "Don't call us, we'll call you... nice legs, though!" After this, the writers decided that Dennis should have an attraction to chickens. In Episode 217, despite the cow crush, Dennis Day's chicken attraction was further developed. In the episode's Talk Spot, he complains to Jimmie that Donna Loreen and Paul Petersen were playing badminton with his chicken. He sings "Won't Somebody Dance with Me", looking for a dance partner before settling for a chicken (The video Mickey Mouse Club Presents MousekaWeird Stuff retroactively claims this was how Dennis first met Camilla). When Dennis Day learns that the cow is missing, he comments that he can still take a chicken out on a date. Episode 318 introduced Dennis Day's regular chicken girlfriend, Camilla. This did not prevent him from developing a brief fascination with Big Bird, however. In The Muppets episode "Bear Left Then Bear Write," Dennis Day (using a photo of Liam Hemsworth) has an online romance with a woman named Debbie. Dennis and Rizzo Beginning with the 1992 movie The Muppet Christmas Carol, Dennis has been paired with Rizzo the Rat, who has since become his best friend. The two co-hosted The Muppet Christmas Carol (Dennis as Charles Dickens and Rizzo as himself). The team connected with audiences, and Dennis Day and Rizzo continued to be paired (often as the stars of the show) throughout the 1990s. The two, as a pair, hosted Muppet Classic Theater (1994) and appeared as a team in Muppet Treasure Island (1996). Dennis and Rizzo were also teamed together for most of Muppets from Space (1999), in which it was shown that the two are roommates in The Muppet Boarding House. In episode 104 of Muppets Tonight, they hosted a one-shot segment called "Dennis and Rizzo's Incredible Discoveries". The segment focused on what happens after a series of painful circumstances (Rizzo gives them all the same response: "It hurts!"). One of their more recent pairings was on the album A Green and Red Christmas, where they sang "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" together. They also sang "Mr. Spaceman" with Jimmy Buffet, on the Kermit Unpiggedalbum. In the "Pepe's Profiles" segment on Dennis Day, Rizzo claims they first met in The Muppet Theatre, when Dennis crashed into a wall Rizzo was living in. Dennis's Outfits Dennis's style of fashion, according to a Disney.com profile, includes purple tuxedos, checkered suits, and anything with chili peppers on it. Originally, Dennis wore a purplish-red tuxedo. In The Muppet Movie, he donned a light blue shirt and a black vest, which he occasionally wore in later seasons of The Muppet Show Club, in addition to his tux. Starting with The Great Muppet Caper and lasting throughout the 1980s, Dennis's regular outfit was a white button-down and a gray sweater vest. For most of the next couple decades, his common attire included a variety of loud (often checkered) suits and other unusual clothing elements (e.g. chili pepper patterned shirts). In Muppets From Space, he wore a similar outfit, consisting of a vest and a tie with a chicken on it. In It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, he wore an ordinary gray suit jacket with a blue-white stripe pattern shirt and golden necktie. See also: Dennis's stunt gear Performing Dennis Day Dennis Day first appeared as Snarl the Cigar Box Frackle in the 1970 special The Great Santa Claus Switch, where he was performed by Daniel Seagren. In 1974, he appeared on the Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass special in the musical number "Five Minutes More". He was performed by Jim Henson during this special, but was completely silent. Since then, Dennis has been his performer. In 2006, Dennis was performed by himself for The Disney Cruise Line's Muppets Ahoy! stage show. In the first season of The Muppet Show Club, the character was underplayed with a permanently sad look. The producers noticed that he worked better in a more energetic form, so Dennis Day modified the eyes to have movable eyelids which helped make him a more active character. As such, he became one of the principal characters in the series. Dennis spoke of the mechanism and how it works; “They are the same in theory as Big Bird's eyes. I didn't invent that mechanism. I looked at Big Bird and used the same idea. You activate the left eye to open both of them.” In 2008, Dennis received a new eye mechanism that allows him to lift one eyelid separately. Dennis commented on the origin of the new mechanism; “When I went on the Today show a few years ago, his eyes malfunctioned. During the bit, I realized that only one eye was opening. It was a fantastic expression. We made it into a funny thing because it just happened on live television. I immediately asked the Workshop if we could incorporate that, and eventually, when they built some more boys, they did do it. So I have the ability to open one eye separately, and it gives you a very perplexed, crazy expression that I love.” Jerry Juhl stated on many occasions that Dennis Day was his favorite character to write for and develop. He said he had a special connection with the Muppeteer. Juhl gave a presentation at the American Film Institute talking about long term character development and used Dennis as the example. Juhl has said that he really enjoyed evolving and developing the character with Dennis from his debut eating the tire to "The Flight of the Bumblebee" through his evolution up to Charles Dickens in 1992. For this reason, Dennis Day has become one of the deepest and most developed characters. Juhl developed Muppets from Space (originally titled "Star Dennis") as a film to focus solely on the emotional arc and development of Dennis Day. Trivia * According to a Disney.com character bio, Dennis Day's likes are being shot out of cannons, balancing pianos on his nose, hypnotizing chickens, and tap dancing on roller skates on a vat of oatmeal. His only dislike is insurance agents.4 * At a Muppets, Music & Magic Q&A session in June 2007, when Dennis was asked which Muppet he least liked working with, he responded, "Well, I can't really go into that or she'll karate chop me."11 * In his first appearances in "The Muppet Show Club", Dennis used to take literally every popular phrase. For instance, in Episode 103, when Joel Grey proposes to him to go for a spin (with his new car), Dennis spins round and round. In Episode 109, when Kermit tells him "I can give you my ear for a moment", Dennis asks what he would do with the ear (Jimmie answers : "Van Gogh impressions"). In the same episode, he makes a mess of the Panel Discussion, taking literally all the expressions used by the other participants. Merchandise Toys * Bendy Tuxedo Dennis Day Doll (1977) * Dennis Day Stick Puppet (1978) * Dennis Day PVC Figure (1979) * Superhero Dennis Beanie (1981) * Superhero Dennis Dress-up Doll (1982) * Admiral of the Fleet Dennis Dress-up Doll Costume (1982) * Circus Baby Dennis PVC (1989) * Baby Dennis PVC (1989) * Pirate Baby Dennis PVC (1989) * Little Boy Mouseketeer Baby Dennis PVC (1989) * Standing Baby Dennis PVC * Sitting Baby Dennis PVC * Disney World Dennis PVC Figure * Stuntman Dennis Action Figure (2002) * Crash Helmet Dennis Action Figure (2002) * Mini Dennis PVC (2003) * Dennis Action Figure (2003) * Mega Dennis Action Figure (2004) * Tuxedo Dennis Action Figure (2004) * Cabin Boy Dennis and Rizzo Action Figures (2004) * Gold Tuxedo Dennis Action Figure (2004) * Dream Date Dennis Action Figure (2004) * Dennis Muppet*Vision 3D Poseable Figure (2004) * Checkered Suit Dennis Day Action Figure (2005) * Tin Boy Plush (2005) * Dearth Vader PVC (2008) * Dennis photo puppet replica (2008) Fast Food Toys * McDonald's Big Wheel Baby Dennis (1987) * McDonald's Airplane Baby Dennis (1990) * Carl's Jr. Dennis Car (1992) * Hardee's The Muppet Christmas Carol finger puppets (1993) * McDonald's Cabin Boy Dennis Boat (1996) * Long John Silvers' Dennis Snowball (1997) * Wendy's Dennis Day 3-D Puzzle (1999) * Wendy's Dennis Spaceship Sparker (1999) * Dairy Queen's Baby Dennis Rocking Horse (1999) Books * Dennis and the Giant Chicken (1982) * Dennis Saves London Bridge (1986) * Dennis's Big Mess (1989) * Dennis the MousekaGreat (book) (1989) * Dennis's Book of Out-of-This-World Puzzles (1999) Miscellaneous * Sigma Christmas ornaments (1979-1981) * Dennis Sigma Mugs * Dennis Day Sugar Bowl * Ceramic Jack-in-the-Box Dennis Christmas Ornament (1981) * Mickey Mouse Club Presents MousekaWeird Stuff (1985) * Dennis Day PEZ Dispenser * Mouseketeer Costume * Dennis's Head backpack (1998) * Dennis Day's Head Magnet (1998) See Also * Dennis Through the Years * Dennis Day Filmography * Dennis's Alternate Identities (Dearth Vadir, Charles Dickens, Tin Boy, etc.) * Dennis's Alternate Ages * Dennis's Family * Dennis's stunts * Cigar Box Frackle * Baby Dennis * Dennis Day (animated) * Dennis Day Songs Edit # ↑ Plume, Ken. Muppet Central Interview with Dave Goelz. # ↑ Goelz, Dave. Creating the Classic Muppets Panel at MuppetFest. MuppetFest Memories. # ↑ Jim Henson's Fantastic World, Arizona Museum for Youth # ↑ 4.0 4.1 Disney.com character bio (retrieved June 18, 2010; November 14, 2011) # ↑ Disney twenty-three, Winter 2011 issue, page 51 # ↑ Disney twenty-three, Winter 2011 issue, page 51 # ↑ "Muppet Master" interview with Jerry Juhl # ↑ Muppet Central interview with Jerry Juhl # ↑ "Juhl resigns from new Muppet movie" # ↑ Frogs, Pigs and Humbug: Unwrapping a New Holiday Classic # ↑ Muppet 101: Q&A with Gonzo and Dave Goelz Category:1950s Characters Category:Muppeteers Category:Characters